March 28, 2024

Lukefahr, 4x400 relay strike gold for Cardinal boys

Cardinal Invitational 2018

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Jace Lukefahr wanted to throw better in his home discus competition. The Newton High senior said he threw “OK” at Thursday’s 2018 Cardinal Invitational track meet.

Lukefahr’s 142 feet, 8 inches captured the gold medal in the event. It was his season’s best throw, but Lukefahr said it wasn’t as good as he thought he could throw on the best day of the 2018 track season.

Newton’s boys competed in only their third meet of the season, finishing in the middle of the pack of their first of two home meets. The Cardinals were seventh with 56 points in a field of 13 teams.

The Cardinals won two events and turned in two second-place finishes.

Newton’s other gold medal came on the track in the final event of the night at H.A. Lynn Stadium.

Seniors Jack Callaghan and Matthew Yeager combined with sophomores Camden Winther and Jeremiah Johnson to win true 4x400-meter relay in 3 minutes, 31.22 seconds. Earlier in the meet the same foursome finished second in the 1,600 medley relay race in 3:42.13.

Yeager ripped off a second-place time of 11.16 seconds in the 100 meters. It was the first time Yeager ran the 100 this season. His time forged a tie for 24th fastest in the state and put him in a qualifying slot for next week’s Drake Relays.

The 100 meters was the only individual race the Cardinals scored points in. Johnson was eighth in the race in 11.63 seconds.

Looking for distances in the shot put to qualify for the Drake Relays were Newton senior Landon Hansen and Baxter junior Will Clapper. Neither area thrower hit the 52-foot mark in Thursday’s competition but did finish 1-2.

Clapper, who was the lone competitor from Baxter in the meet, won the shot put with a throw of 51-1/2. Baxter’s boys were to have competed in a meet at South Hamilton Thursday, but it was postponed. Hansen placed second with a toss of 50-7.

Newton junior Ben Peterson was fourth at 42-3 1/2 in the shot put. Junior Mason Lee finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 119-10.

The foursome of seniors Josh Miravalles and Clayton Baltisberger, sophomore Logan Cummins and freshman Devon Crandall took eighth in the 4x200 relay in 1:42.08. The same team posted a ninth-place finish of 47.65 seconds in the 4x100 relay.

Nevada won the boys’ team title with 118.33 points followed by Ottumwa with 103.33 and Marshalltown with 86.33 points. Ames was fourth with 84 points, Grinnell was fifth with 76 and Clear Creek-Amana in sixth with 63 points.

Oskaloosa followed Newton in eighth with 54 points. Ballard took ninth with 39 points followed by Perry with 25, South Tama with 18, Baxter with 10 and BGM with seven points.

Newton’s boys join the girls to compete on Tuesday at Grinnell. Events are slated to start at 4:15 p.m.

Baxter’s boys and girls are scheduled to compete at 4:30 p.m. Monday at a meet hosted by Des Moines Christian.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com